Pakistan’s Marketing Services Exports Jump 19% to $30.7 Million in Q1 FY27

Pakistan’s exports of advertising and market research services increased 19% year-on-year to $30.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 (July–September 2026), up from $25.8 million in the same period last year, according to data from the State Bank of Pakistan. The figures were highlighted at Payoneer Connect Lahore, an event that brought together more than 40 marketing agencies to discuss strategies for winning international clients and scaling operations abroad.

Hosted by Payoneer, a global financial technology company that facilitates cross-border business, the event was themed ‘The Export Era of Global Marketing’. It connected agency leaders with representatives from the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), Google, and AI practitioners to explore opportunities in the global marketplace.

The growth in marketing services is part of a broader surge in professional services exports. Other business services—a wider State Bank category that includes public relations, consulting, and technical services—recorded exports of $620 million in the same quarter, up 27% year-on-year. Within this category, exports of consulting and public relations services rose 22% to $81.2 million.

A fireside chat with Ali Imran Memon, founder and CEO of Kitsune AI, focused on agentic AI and whether Pakistan has reached the limits of freelancing and outsourcing. The discussion explored how agencies can transform their expertise into AI agents and products rather than relying solely on billable hours, and whether AI services should be priced by subscription, task, or outcome.

Google’s Customer Solutions team demonstrated how AI-powered localisation tools can significantly expand cross-border business opportunities for Pakistani companies, lowering the cost of scaling in new markets.

Policy support remains crucial for sustaining this growth. P@SHA Vice Chairman Samad Saleem outlined ongoing advocacy work to enable and scale Pakistan’s digital services exports, aligning with the government’s target of $15 billion in IT exports by 2030.